Improvement in lamps



I lamp, ready for use.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFF-ICE.

WILLIAM l/V. BATOHELDEIQ OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN LAM PS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I. WILLIAM W. BA'LH ELDER, of the city of New York,county and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvementin Lamps; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear,and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is aside elevation of myimproved Fig. 2 is a diamctrical section through thesame. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section through the'chambered cap of thelamp. I

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the threefigures.

The nature of my invention consists in the combination with a lamp,operating on the plan hereinafter described, of a safety contrivance.

My lamp generates the gas to support combustion from the fluid which iswithin its reservoir, and the feed of the oil to the point where it isconverted into gas is produced by an expansion of air or gas within thereservoir itself.

I would state that I do not intend my lamp for burning such oils as aredangerous, by reason of their too sudden expansion under the influenceof heat conducted from the generator into the lamp.

The object of my invention is to maintain the oil at the proper pointfor its volatilization by warming the air or gas in the body of thelamp, and thus creating a pressure upon the fluid therein, as will behereinafter described.

Another object of my invention is to so construct a lamp, operating uponthe principle above stated, that the pressure upon the fluid in the bodyof the lamp can be regulated or entirely removed at pleasure, as will behere inafter described.

To enable others skilled in the art to understand my invention, I willdescribe its construction and operation.

In the accompanying drawin gs, A represents the reservoir or body of alamp, and B represents a chambered cap, which is fitted tightly over themouth of A in any suitable manner. 0 is a tube, which passes verticallythrough the cap B and extends nearly to the bottomof the reservoir A.The upper end of this tube'projects above the cap B, and has a gas-, 7

tube, a, of any suitable form, applied on its upper end. D represents asecondary burner, which is a tube secured to the cap B, and providedwith a sliding tube 1), which is intended for regulating the size of theflame by exposing more or less of the wick '0 beyond the end of the tube1). The wick 0 passes through the cap B and into the oil in the res;ervoir A. E represents a thumb-screw, which is tapped through the sideof the chambered. cap B, and provided with a tapering end, 9, whichserves as a valve for'closing an opening, a, that is made through theside of tube 0, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. This perforation 43 forms acommunication between the upper portion of the tube (3 and the chamberin the cap B, and a perforation, 3, through the bottom of cap B, forms acommunication between the reservoir A and this cap. G represents aperforated hood, which rests on the shoulder at the upper end of thetube 0 and extends down a suitable distance to confine the heat from theflame of burner D around the upper end of said tube as much as possible,for the purpose of heating this tube to such a dzgree as will volatilizethe oil therein and eject the vapor through the gas-burner a to beburned, as shown in Fig. 1.

Before lighting my lamp the lower end of the tube 0 should be filledwith a wick, 10, which may be made of any suitable absorbent, for thepurpose of preventing the oil which is forced up this tube to the pointof volatilization from materially deviating from this,

point in consequence of a sudden change from heat to cold, and viceversa, to which the reservoir A may be subjected.

The reservoir A can be supplied with oil by removing the chambered capB, after which this cap is screwed tightly in its place and thesecondary burner, D, lighted. The flame of this secondary burnerimpinges upon the side of the tube 0 and rapidly heats this tube, notonly above the cap B, but also below it. The heat thus produced expandsthe air above the oil in the reservoir A, and thus creates a pressurewhich forces the oil up through the wick w and above this wick, where itis volatilized by the intense heat at this point. When the pressurewithin the reservoir becomes too great, the valve 9 is opened and theexpanded air or gas allowed to escape through the openings 8 into thetube 0, whence it escapes through the gasburner a. After the air in thereservoir is allowed to escape, the oil above the wick w in tube 0 willfall to the desired point.

It is desirable to maintain a uniform pressure in the upper end of tube0, and to thus keep up a steady light. 'For this purpose the size of theopening i may be regulated by adjusting valve 9 so as to allow ot' theoverplus of gas to escape from the reservoir. The heated tube-O willvolatilize the oil in the reservoir A to some extent, but it will beseen that the gas thus generated can be mixed and reheated with thatwhich is generated in the upper portion of the tube (J.

The wick w is merely a medium, through which the oil in the reservoir Ais forced by the pres: ure of expanded air therein. Without this wickthe oil would be supplied to the volatilizing-chamber of tube 0 eithertoo rapidly or too slowly, and it could not be main- 1 aned at a uniformheight therein. The wick will allow the oil to rise or fall slowly inproportion to the amount of pressure, which can be easily regulated, asabove described.

In Fig. 2 of the drawings, at L, I have represented a safety-springvalve, which opens when the pressure in the reservoir becomes too greatfor the safety of the lamp. This valve may be provided to all lampsoperating on the plan herein described, and it, while the screw-valve Eanswers for preventing blowing of the flame under a high but safepressure,will render the lamp anti-explosive under a very high pressure.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of the safety or controlling devices herein describedwith a lamp constructed and operating as herein described.

2. The combination of the controlling conical screw E g with the cap B,tube 0 'i, and lamp-reservoir A, all constructed and operating in themanner and for the purpose substantially as described.

Witness my hand in the matter of my application for a patent forimprovement in lamps.

WILLIAM W. BATO HELD ER.

Witnesses:

CLINTON P. SCOVEL, E. SonAFEa.

